


7teen: Meddle

by Jupiter_Queen



Series: 7teen, Season 1 [2]
Category: 6teen
Genre: Gen, Humor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-05
Updated: 2018-10-05
Packaged: 2019-07-25 16:59:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 10,163
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16201784
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jupiter_Queen/pseuds/Jupiter_Queen
Summary: Episode 2: Jude and Jonesy decide to play detective when Wyatt's behavior gets shadier. Meanwhile, Sydni tries to find a job, but only finds herself as Heather and Tricia's next target.





	1. Intro

**Author's Note:**

> Originally posted on Fanfiction.Net in 2012. Rewritten in 2015.
> 
> Warning: Profanity.
> 
> The title is from the song "Meddle" by Little Boots.

_Should I really_ _bothered with this hellhole today?_  Nikki asked herself. She looked at the Khaki Barn's afternoon influx of customers, or "mindless fashion sheep," as she liked to call them.  _Nope, not at all._

She glanced at her favorite changing stall, which no one occupied. She tossed aside the sweater she'd been folding over and over again in favor of taking a much-needed break. With each step, victory was closer and closer—so close she could almost taste it—but before she found herself at the stall door, she was greeted by defeat.

"What do you think you're doing, Nikki?"

She groaned. "Trying to catch a break for once."

"I'll gladly let you do that  _on your own time,_ " Chrissy said. "Listen, I need you on register duty for the day."

"Why me? Can't you get Kirsten or Kristen to do that?" She muttered, "That's all they're good for, anyway."

"But I want  _you_  to, Nikki,"—Chrissy ditched her atypically polite tone—"because I  _know_  you ditched half your shift the other day to socialize with a friend. I mean, you  _could_  relax in that stall, but then I'd have to make you do inventory  _and_  put you on employee probation. You wouldn't want that, would you?"

Her reply was a monotonous  _no_.

"Glad you're seeing things my way." She smirked, continuing to do so as she walked by.

"Bitch," she muttered. Between Chrissy's manipulation and the more air-headed Clones' squeals of getting a new co-worker, Nikki wanted to wilt and die at work. But she needed to keep her willpower strong. Traveling money was the endgame after all. (Although the option of blackmailing Chrissy with her Jedi Knight Club membership didn't seem so bleak.)

Finally at the cash register like Chrissy commanded her to be, Nikki only assisted one customer before resting her head on the counter. If she couldn't get her break in her favorite stall, then she would get one here.

"Excuse me, miss, could you ring this up for me?" someone interrupted.

Without even lifting her head, she replied, "Can't you see that I'm taking a break? Besides, the merchandise from this store isn't even worth it."

She was relieved when she heard clothing hit the counter and footsteps leaving the store. However, she wanted to roll her eyes when she heard another set of footsteps approaching.

"Nikki?" she heard. "I didn't know you worked here."

When she raised her head, Sydni came into focus. "Big surprise, right? Though I'm not quite sure  _why_  I work here… Oh right:  _t_ _raveling money_. That's where the list begins and ends."

"Oh." Noticing Nikki's tired eyes, she looked away and placed her hands behind her back. "Maybe I should wait outside. I shouldn't bother you."

"You can stay; you're not bothering anyone. Besides, it's not like I'm doing anything worthwhile." She rested her elbows on the counter. "So, what brings you here?"

"Well, Caitlin wanted to take me on a mall tour, but she asked me to meet her here first." She met Nikki's eyes. "I guess a little time away from my laptop won't hurt."

"Try telling that to Jude last year." Nikki laughed at the memory. "He was so obsessed with some laptop game that we had to stage an intervention."

She chuckled. "Jude seems like an interesting person."

It had been less than a week since she'd formally met the gang at Geoff's party, and she'd only hung out with them a couple times, but she'd found herself intrigued by this group of people—sitting in her food-court chair and watching them interact, only participating in conversations once in a blue moon. A few of them reminded her of friends and acquaintances back in Baltimore. A few others were entirely new personalities to her.

She wasn't used to hanging out in a bigger group yet—a drastic difference from her preferred, intimate group of two, sometimes three, people—but maybe she would get used to it. After all, they were only  _one_   _group_  in a city of over  _two million_ _people_. (She'd been doing her homework on Toronto.)

"Yeah, but once you get to know him, he'll become a brother. An unpredictable, stoned, anti-bathing brother," Nikki said.

She giggled before feeling quite nostalgic. "In that case, he'd be my second brother. Very different from my other one, though."

"Really?"

"Yeah. My friend Marcus and I were really tight. He was a kind, chill shoulder to lean on. We'd always hear each other out, always had each other's backs no matter what."

"Ah. That kind of sounds like me and Wyatt."

"He seems like a genuinely nice guy." She glanced at her sneakers as she fiddled with her bracelet. "That's really refreshing."

"It is, isn't it?" She snorted. "God, most guys these days are complete asshats. Can't tell the good guys from the jerks anymore."

She frowned. "You have  _no idea_. They're like wolves in sheep's clothing."

"Only they're pigs, pricks, and dicks who've 'got Kik.'"

"Exactly!" Alongside Nikki, she laughed her first genuine fit of laughter in ages. Once their fit ceased, she asked, "So, do you have any advice on where to work?" Twisting a lock of her brown and copper hair, she said, "If I start coming here everyday, I might as well have a job, right?"

Nikki shrugged. "Makes sense to me. My only advice is to save yourself the trouble by not working here. Seriously."

"Why not?" She avoided her eyes. "I-I mean I never paid much attention to this store back home, but I'm just curious, that's all."

She smirked. "First of all,  _relax_ —I don't bite… much. Second, the Crappy Barn is not worth your time. Trust me."

"Oh, okay. Thanks for that."

Not knowing what to discuss next, Sydni was grateful for an approaching, arguably frustrated customer.

"Miss"—she plopped her clothing on the counter before Nikki—"I've been waiting for your assistance for over three minutes. That's absurd."

"You know what? It truly is, but—looking at these clothes—I'm sure you'll survive." Nikki offered a stern face.

"Well I  _never_."

"Then  _don't_."

The woman stormed off as Nikki called, "Have a Khaki day!"

Sydni gasped at the scene she'd witnessed before grinning. "Oh my gosh, Nikki, how are you still employed?"

She shrugged. "I honestly don't know. I ask myself the same thing everyday."

Sydni frowned when she felt the conversation hitting a snag, but she figured nothing good could last forever. She was yet again grateful for Caitlin's good timing, entering the store after the lull was established.

She offered them both a bubbly smile when she reached the counter. "Hi, guys!"

"Hey, Barbie," Nikki said. "What's new?"

"Oh, nothing much." She faced Sydni. "So, ready for my one-of-a-kind tour around the mall?"

Caitlin and her pearl-white grin, offered nothing but sunshine. She couldn't hide her eagerness any longer. This was the chance for the gang—and, more specifically,  _her_ —to connect with someone new, to let more light in, to be refreshed. This tour of the mall would only be the beginning, Caitlin could feel it.

Sydni couldn't refrain from smiling either. From the moment she'd hung out with Caitlin at the party, Caitlin's presence had been overwhelming, but in a good sense. It was a refreshing mix of joy and sincerity. It was contagious.

"Of course I am."

"Let's go!" Before Caitlin sped off with Sydni, she said, "Bye, Nikki!"

Nikki waved and tried to enter her happy place, or at least her relatively stable place, as they left. The prospect of someone new among her friends wasn't so bad, at least not anymore. Accepting Caitlin as part of the group, especially when she'd proven herself as a good person, further opened Nikki's mind. The possibility of a new attitude around the gang was welcome, but she hoped they would stop here, because more than seven people would just be overkill.

"Um, miss, can you please ring this up for me?"

_If I hear_  miss  _one more time,_ _I swear to God…_ Ignoring the customer before her, Nikki massaged her throbbing temples with her index and middle fingers. "This is going to be a long day."


	2. Dog Days Come Running

"Cute coffee shop," Sydni murmured as she and Caitlin left Grind Me.

"I know right?" Caitlin took a sip of her mocha latte and grinned. "It's so stylish and cute for a mall coffee shop. How come you didn't want anything?"

"I've never been too big on coffee. My mom drinks it a lot though."

"So does Wyatt. He can't live without it. Seriously, he becomes a major grumpy-bear if he doesn't have any."

Tucking a strand of hair behind her ear as she followed Caitlin, Sydni said, "I can't help but notice Wyatt coming up in conversation. Like, Nikki was telling me about him earlier and now you're talking about him."

Caitlin shrugged. "It's pretty hard not to love him. He's a such great guy. That's why it was so hard to see him go through his angry-depressed phase."

"He was depressed?"

"Yeah. He had a heinous breakup with this girl he really loved." She frowned. "She dumped with him through a  _text message_."

"Aw, that's terrible."

"I know right? He kept doing poetry every week at Grind Me until he got over her. It definitely took him a while, but he got over her and moved on." She smiled. "I think he's much better now."

Things clicked as Wyatt's story gave her a glimmer of hope. She wanted to be better, too. She wanted to mostly be better, if not be  _completely_  better, by the end of the summer. Though she didn't know him well yet, if Wyatt could do it, then there was a chance she could do the same. "That's great," she said.

"Sydni, look! It's A&F!" Caitlin giggled. "It's so funny how we ended up here when I met you."

"Yeah, it is, isn't it?"

"So, do you mind if we go in here? I  _so_  want to buy some new things."

"Sure, I don't mind." After walking into the store, she followed Caitlin on her quest for clothes. "Looking for anything specific?"

"Just some clothes for a modeling contest I want to enter." As she picked up and inspected different dresses, she said, "I have to submit some photos and I really want to stand out, you know?"

Sydni nodded. While Caitlin perused what the store offered, some things being too girly or too skin-baring for Sydni's taste, nothing intrigued her. She noticed some cute bikinis, but, thinking of the bruises on her legs, remembered why she didn't wear them often. Volleyball and various accidents did enough damage.

She walked up an aisle with Caitlin, passing the men's clothing section and wandering into a section with some "dope" graphic t-shirts, even if she didn't want to spend any cash today. She kept on following Caitlin, who spotted a rack full of "the dresses of her dreams."

Despite being happy with what Caitlin found, she wasn't concerned with the dresses.

She was concerned with the guy who'd graced her vision. Glancing at him again, she gulped.

Hispanic. Tall. Tan. Messy brown hair. Green eyes. Not to mention  _shirtless_ , but she didn't want to focus on that for too long; she'd feel shallow if she ogled his abs. (But, still, they were therein plain view.)

She licked her suddenly dry lips.  _Wow_.

But she couldn't think about him too much longer, not after tripping over dropped hangers and falling on her face.

"Ow," she mumbled as Caitlin rushed over.

"Oh my gosh, are you okay?" she asked as she helped her to her feet.

She brushed her jeans off. "I'm fine. This happens often." Her eyes darted to that guy, making sure he didn't see her embarrass herself for the millionth time. She sighed in relief.  _He didn't_. "Too often."

Caitlin was glad to hear she was fine. Moments later, in a nonchalant way, she asked, "So, who were you looking at?"

"Wait, what?"

Caitlin grabbed a midnight-blue, full-skirt dress from the rack and held it against her body, wondering how it would look on her. "I totally saw that  _OMG-did-he-just-see-that?_ glance. So spill—who stole your heart away?"

She blushed and looked away. "No one."

"Tell me."

"It was nothing, Caitlin."

"You know you wanna tell me," she sang, twirling around.

She huffed.

"Come on, Sydni. You can tell me anything." Caitlin gazed at her with wide, Bambi eyes. "I won't do anything mean or crazy. Promise."

Letting out another huff, she pointed over her shoulder with a thumb. "That guy over there, but not the dude that's flexing. The other one. The one that looks really calm, like he's got everything figured out."

Caitlin's face lit up. "You're into Alejandro!"

" _Into_  him? Caitlin, I don't even  _know_  him."

"Oh, I am  _totally_  introducing you to him. Come on," she said, attempting to grab Sydni's wrist.

She moved away. "No thank you."

Caitlin frowned.

"I don't think I'd be worth his time. Besides, you have the perfect dress to buy."

"But I could buy it and still introduce you to him. You're totally worth it."

 _But I wasn't worth it to_ him _anymore_. "You think so?"

"Of course!"

With careful deliberation, she made her decision. "Okay, I'll go meet him."

"Hooray!" After she purchased her midnight dress, she brought Sydni to Alejandro and his friend. "Hi, Alejandro. Hi, Justin."

They both greeted her.

Before they could ask what she was doing there, Caitlin explained, "I wanted to introduce you to my new friend, Sydni. I'm giving her a tour of the mall."

"Caitlin already said my name, but I think I'm worthy of being introduced again. I'm Justin." He flashed Sydni a haughty smile as he ran a hand through his dark-brown hair.

"And I'm Alejandro. Pleasure to meet you." He exuded confidence as he took her hand. "Might I say you look  _muy bonita_."

She was nothing but a ball of nerves when he pressed his warm lips against her hand for a moment. She blushed, her mouth drying. Thanking him would be a test of composure. "Oh, wow," she mumbled. "Thanks, Alejandro." Clearing her throat, she said, "It was great to meet you both, but Caitlin and I have to go. Maybe I'll see you around later."

"Yeah, see you around," he echoed.

As the girls walked away, Caitlin squealed. "Ohmygosh"—she wasted no time to enunciate three words—"he was totally into you."

"I doubt it. A guy like that probably has a million girls around his finger."

Caitlin opened her mouth to speak, but closed it. She opened it once again, finally saying, "Well, he does have a lot of girls crushing on him, but I think he liked  _you_. I could totally feel the chemistry."

She maintained her silence.

"And you like him too, don't you?"

"Caitlin, I  _just_  met him. Why would I?"

She stared.

" _Caitlin_."

And she stared and started and  _stared_  until—

"Fine, he's charming, but that's all you're getting out of me."

"Aww, I knew it! You have a crush!"

"It's a little too soon to call it that, don't you think?"

"It's never too soon for love to start."

 _And_ _it's_ _quick_ _for it to end,_ _too_ , she thought.

* * *

 _Oh my God_ ,  _I've gotta call Heather_ , Gwen thought as she stood in the middle of Albatross & Finch, a hand cupping her mouth. Finding the tank top she wanted was one thing, but watching Alejandro flirt with the first (or maybe the fifth) girl since Heather—that was another thing, a drastic difference.

She snatched her phone from her purse, speed-dialing Heather while purchasing her shirt at the register. The dial tone stopped as fast as it began.

"Gwen, this better be good."

"What I have to say might not be good news, but it's important."

* * *

Jonesy slouched in his food-court chair.

Time could be unnecessarily slow when she wanted to be. During the school year, she dragged on and on when all he'd wanted was for junior year to be over. Of course the year had given him some wonderful things—like a renewed relationship with Nikki, another year with his friends, and a stellar hockey season—but summer was long overdue.

Sometimes time was too quick, but that wasn't today's issue. He'd wanted to kiss and caress Nikki for hours on their most recent date, but she just  _had_  to go home. If only her moans had allowed something more. For now, his fantasies would have to do until they weren't enough anymore. (Just kidding, they would  _always_  be enough.)

This was supposed to be the summer of  _la dolce vita_ , but summer hadn't even been here a full week and he already had nothing to do. Not right now, at least.

He grabbed his phone out his pocket and scrolled through Instagram, hoping something on there would capture his attention. A few things managed to—namely a few of the graduated senior girls' photographs—but little else did.

He wanted an escape, a distraction, a diversion. Sadly, Instagram was not any of those things at the moment. (Sorry, pretty senior girls.)

He quickly broke away from his phone when he heard a loud  _thud_  on the table.

"You okay, dude?" Jonesy asked, looking at Jude with wide eyes. Jude's body was sprawled on the table, his skateboard Sally turned on her side after landing next to the Lemon.

"Yeah"—he sat up—"just wiped out again. I couldn't nail a trick, but I'll get it next time."

Jonesy raised an eyebrow. "You never give up, do you?"

"Nope."

He grinned. "Don't."

Jude hopped off the table and walked to Sally, picking her up. "Wasn't planning on it, bro." He took his seat at the table, placing his board on the table. "So, what's up with you?"

Sighing, he said, "Nothing much. I'm just bored as hell."

"Same…" Jude got lost in his thoughts, but left them when he asked, "Hey, didn't ya have a job today?"

"Had one—already fired." He grimaced. "I didn't even work at the party store for an  _hour_."

"What happened?"

"My boss went on break and no one was in there, so I had a little bit of fun." He had played with everything from every aisle—stealing helium from balloons and swearing with a chipmunk voice, slingshotting party hats around, hurling plastic plates like frisbees, among other ridiculous things. When he'd made a huge mess, however, he knew he was in trouble. And then the boss returned. Jonesy ended his tale, saying, "He canned me right on the spot."

"Dude, that sounded  _sweet_ … minus the super scary boss, of course." Jude absentmindedly played with the wheels on his skateboard. "So what are we gonna do now?"

"No clue." The dog days shouldn't come this early in the summer.

Luckily, Jude always had the cats to chase the dog days away. "Hmm… maybe all of us can head to the rink later; I've got nothing better to do. Plus, we can go when everyone gets off from work. That way we can all chill." He chuckled. "Get it?  _Chill_?"

"I get it, dude," Jonesy replied with a blank face.

"You know what?" Jude grinned innocently. "I think I'm gonna ask Starr to come with us."

Jonesy smirked, his expression devilish. "Looking forward to some ice-skating tonsil hockey, eh?"

"Nah, I just like skating with her. She gives me such good vibes and stuff. But if we do make out, I probably won't mind it."

"Hey, boys," a familiar voice called, "can I join you or would I be interrupting precious  _guy_ _-_ _bonding time_?"

Jonesy licked his lips. "It'd be better if you joined us."

Nikki took her seat beside him. "So, what're you two up to?"

"Nothing much; we're just planning to head to the rink later. Wanna come with?"

"Sure." Resting her arms on the table, she said, "I think I'm actually getting better at ice skating."

"That's only because you've got a good teacher," he said, punctuating his sentence with a wink.

Nikki raised an eyebrow. "And who might that be?"

"Someone special."

Grinning, she said, "I'm sorry—I'm not so good with names today."

"You like being a tease, don't you?"

"What can I say? It's my calling." She snorted.

He stuck his tongue out at her, causing her to roll her eyes.

"Hey, Jonesy," Jude began, "wanna head to the game store? I just remembered we just got that new GTA game."

He practically jumped from his seat. "No way! Let's go!"

"To the game store!" Jude called.

Jonesy bent over, planting a kiss on Nikki's cheek. "Later, babe."

She smiled. "Later."

* * *

Heather was irked. No, she was  _vexed_. She paced back and forth in her backyard, her chiffon sarong dragging on her patio as she ignored Lindsay, Mandy, Gwen, and Tricia. What Gwen had told her would  _not_  do. No, no, no, it would not do at  _all_.

"Heather, hon, can you stop your pacing? You're blocking my sun," called Tricia, lounging on a chaise with shades resting over her eyes.

"Excuse me, but I can't help it."

She sighed. "Is this about that Alejandro thing? Why are you so hung up about it? I thought you were done with him."

"I could ask the same thing about Benj."

"Heather, you know I only care about him just to mess with Lemon Head."

"Uh-huh," she muttered. " _Sure_ , Trish."

Sitting up and staring at Heather through her oversized shades, Tricia smirked. "You know you never answered my question. Are you still into him?"

Heather groaned.

"Come on, Heather, you can tell me  _anything_ ," she purred, aiming to coax the truth out her best friend.

"Fine! I'm still into him, okay? Happy now?"

"Surprisingly, I'm proud. That felt good to say, right?"

Crossing her arms, she huffed. "Yes. But the thought of him flirting with some no-name friend of Lemon Head's just—"

"Pisses you off?"

"God,  _yes_." Her facial expression softened. "I just want him back."

"If you want him back," Gwen interjected, "we have to get that girl out of the way. He looked like he was actually into her."

"Oh,  _hell no_." Heather's blood simmered. "Any ideas on getting rid of her?"

The girls looked amongst each other, expecting an answer.

Gwen, having followed Caitlin and "that girl" around for a bit, recalled some information. "Well, that girl—I think her name's Sybil or Sydni, I don't know—either way, she mentioned she was looking for a job. I don't know if that helps or not."

Tricia, seeing Heather's smirking face, said, "That actually helps a lot. Thanks, Gwen."

Heather exchanged a knowing glance with Tricia. She would take Sydni down, or at least ruin her mall reputation, and Alejandro would be wrapped around her finger once more. "Let's make some calls, bitches."


	3. Crossfire

Giggling and other sounds of joy filled the ice-skating rink as the gang moved about, bringing it warmth.

Jude rode around the rink on his precious Zamboni with Starr curled up next to him. He draped one arm around her shoulders and pulled her close, never once letting go. He was glad it was late in the day, so he wouldn't have to worry about a bunch of people crowding the rink and ruining his "chill time" with his friends and girlfriend.

As he cruised along the smooth ice, he looked around at his friends, noticing Jonesy giving him a thumbs up (probably regarding Starr). Jude returned the gesture before fixating his eyes on the ice ahead of him.

Jonesy chose to fixate his eyes on Nikki, who'd been skating well on her own now. She wasn't completely graceful or agile, but at least she could move around by herself without falling down. He'd been on ice since he was five, knowing he wanted to play hockey since that age, but she impressed him nonetheless.

He skated towards her with his arms crossed. "You've really gotten better at this, babe."

"I suppose I'm a quick learner."

He grinned devilishly. "A quick learner with a sexy boyfriend to teach her."

Nikki grinned as well. "Define  _sexy_."

"The definition is  _moi_. I'm  _very_  sexy."

"Sure about that?"

He placed his hands on her hips, pulling her closer. "Babe, I'm  _always_  sure."

For a moment, he was tempted to kiss her like she'd kissed him at Geoff's party—taking her by surprise and captivating her in the midst of their friends—but he decided against it, even though he didn't mind the idea. Instead, he took her by the hand, saying, "Let's test how good you are at skating."

"Gladly," she said as she followed him.

Jen couldn't help but notice the two of them as she skated with Caitlin. She sighed. Not only was this love, but it was love between two of her best friends, two people who'd known each other for ages and deserved to find happiness within each other, especially after the long road they traveled just to hook up in the first place.

"Aw, they're so cute," Caitlin said, as if she'd been reading Jen's thoughts.

"I know, right? I'm really happy for them."

"Totally." She grinned. "I'm  _also_  really happy that you finally got with Nick."

Jen blushed at the thought of him. "Yeah, me too."

"So, would it be cool if Benj and I tagged along on your date? I told him you guys were going bowling together and he really wants to go."

"A double date? Sure, I don't mind. I'll let Nick know."

Caitlin practically jumped in her skates. "Yay!"

Jen's lips tugged into a smile. "I think it'll be fun."

"Of course! Oh, it'll be  _wonderful_! I was thinking we could…" Caitlin went on and on, letting her romantic personality lead the rest of the conversation.

"Be steady. Be steady," Sydni chanted to herself, staring at the ice beneath her blades. She had never been ice-skating before, but didn't want to admit it to the gang. She was worried she would sound lame if she said it out loud, yet they could probably figure it out by now. After calming herself down, she took another step—only to land flat on the ice. "Ow."

After tucking a few locks of messy hair behind her ear, she saw a hand extending towards her. She blushed out of embarrassment and allowed herself to be helped up.

"Thought you could use some help."

"Thanks, Wyatt." She avoided his eyes. "I've never actually, you know, ice-skated before. I'm better on roller skates, honestly."

"I understand. Ice skating isn't that easy, anyway."

"Yeah"—she chuckled, pointing at her skates—"it's hard out here for a bitch right now."

He laughed, too. "Don't worry. You'll get the hang of it. Nikki did, even though it was hard for her at the beginning."

She appreciated his encouragement for a moment before latching onto a different topic. "I don't think we got to talk much yet—since you were DJing at that party all night and since I haven't come around much yet—but I've heard a lot of good things about you."

"Really?"

"Yeah, Nikki and Caitlin were telling me things today, and I was hoping to get your input on something. You know, if you don't mind or anything."

"Sure, what's up?"

"Um, I was wondering if you have any advice on where I should work. I kind of want a job so I won't be broke the whole summer, you know?" Caitlin had given her suggestions earlier, which she had definitely bore in mind for future reference, but she figured asking another person would do her more justice.

"Spin This isn't bad. I worked there for a while and it was fair enough, especially if you're really into music."

"I've always been into music, so it sounds pretty cool." She grinned. "Anything's better than me working in a yogurt shop for the summer, right?" One summer spent at YoYogurt was  _enough_.

With a chuckle, he said, "Actually, avoiding the country-western section of Spin This is better."

"Country's never been my thing, honestly."

"There's just something about it that's too—"

"Twangy?"

"Exactly."

"I hate to diss a genre a lot of people like, but I could never get into it, you know?"

"Yeah. It only makes me think of depressed cowboys in pickup trucks."

Her grin broadened. "Too true!" Sensing a conversational shift, she asked, "So, how did you get into DJing?"

He shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know. I don't really do it that often. Even though I didn't mind it, I really only did it the other night because Geoff asked me to."

"Oh." She looked away before focusing on him again. "So, Caitlin told me you did poetry for a while. Excuse me if I'm asking too many questions, but how'd that work out?"

"You're not asking too many; it's fine. Oddly enough, I liked doing poetry, but, then again, it's not too far from writing song lyrics. I guess Caitlin told you about my breakup, huh?"

"A little bit. It sounded painful."

"It was, but then I realized she was just a phase. We talked a couple times after the whole thing, but I've been over her for a while now."

"Well, that's good. My mom always tells me that heartbreak's inevitable, but not permanent."

"Your mom sounds wise."

"Yeah, she is."

"I guess when you live long enough, you end up knowing a lot more about the things in life."

"That's true." As Wyatt looked at his phone, she said, So—"

"Oh, crap. Can we talk later? I've  _really_  gotta go."

Her eyes widened, taken aback, but she mustered a few words. "Oh, um, alright. Nice talking to you, Wyatt."

He was gone as quickly as he said, "You, too. See you later."

She stood there, frowning at the ice beneath her blades, feeling rejected, even if he wasn't deliberately trying to be rude. Caitlin and Jen skated towards her when they noticed he'd bolted so abruptly.

"Oh my gosh, I'm  _so_  sorry for that," Caitlin said. "Trust me, Wyatt's normally not like this. I'm sure it wasn't anything you did."

"I know," she replied. "Still, he just looked at his phone and disappeared."

Jen placed a hand on her chin, lost in thought as the rest of the gang skated over—even Jude, who'd hopped off the Zamboni with Starr. Finally, she said, "He's been doing this lately, a little too much if you ask me."

"What do you think the problem is?" Starr asked.

"Maybe it's alcohol—or, worse,  _drugs_." Caitlin's eyes widened in horror. "What if he's ditching us for  _sex_?"

Jonesy laughed. "I don't blame him. Trust me, I'd be leaving at random times to 'get some,' too."

Nikki hit him on the arm.

He quickly backtracked. "And by 'get some,' I meant  _get some_  with  _you_ , babe."

She glared at him. "Smooth, Jonesy. Real smooth."

His smile grew sheepish. "I'll just shut up now."

"Maybe he's just having family issues," Jen contributed. "The last few times he left, he mentioned his parents."

"Yeah, maybe he's just going through something like that," said Caitlin.

" _Or_  it's just a bullshit coverup for something more. I bet it involves a hot chick," Jonesy said, reneging on his promise to shut up. He smiled impishly as an idea formed.

"Jonesy, I know that look anywhere." Jen stared at his mischievous face. "What are you up to now?"

"Hmm, I think I should trail Wyatt and see what he's been up to. Someone's gotta figure this one out, and it's gotta be me."

"Oh, no!" the girls, minus Sydni, exclaimed with similar expressions of disagreement. Nikki face-palmed herself, Jen shook her head, and Caitlin just sighed. By their reactions, Sydni could infer Jonesy had tried and failed at this many times.

"Oh, yes!" With a fist in the air, he shouted, "Inspector Jonesmeister is on the job!"

"With all his schemes, I'd think  _he_  was the one religiously watching cop shows, not  _me_ ," Jen muttered.

"Count me in too, bro." Jude grinned innocently. "I wanna be the sidekick."

"Nice." Jonesy glanced at Caitlin, as did Jude.

"Don't look at me," she said. "I'm not up for this, but still let me know what you find out."

Nikki laughed. "Is this what I think it is? The queen of everybody's business staying out of something?"

"I know. I'm shocked too," Caitlin said.

* * *

The next day marked the start of job-hunting season, a time Sydni hoped wouldn't be so terrible. She'd stared at one of the mall's many directories to find Spin This and went on a journey to find it. When she made it there (with her resumé in hand), she looked for its manager.

She managed to catch the attention of an employee wearing an orange beanie and asked, "Excuse me, is your manager around?"

"Yeah." He nodded absently. "Give me a sec and I'll go get her." He walked off calling, "Yo, Serena…" as Sydni stood there.

Serena approached her minutes later. "Hi there. What can I do for you?"

She took a deep breath and tried to keep her head high. "Hi, I heard you were hiring summer employees, and I was hoping that I could apply for one of the positions."

"Sure, I'll let you apply. Just follow me." Serena led her to one of the store's counters and stood behind it. "I need to know your name and age, and I'd like to see your resumé."

Sydni passed her resumé to her and said, "I'm Sydni Smith and I'm sixteen years old."

Serena said, "Uh oh."

She gulped. "Uh oh?"

"I hate to tell you this, but you've been blacklisted. I don't think I can hire you," Serena told her with an apologetic expression.

"Blacklisted? That's insane! I've barely lived here for a week; I haven't done anything!"

"Look, I'm really sorry."

She sighed, letting go of her sudden frustration. "It's okay. It's not your fault, anyway. Do you know who blacklisted me?"

"No clue. The email I got looks pretty official though. Had the mall's insignia and everything."

"Dammit," she muttered under her breath.

Serena gave her resumé back. "Again, I'm sorry. Hope you have a nice day."

"You, too. Thanks anyways." Sydni walked out the store in a huff.  _I can't believe th_ _is._

As the day went on, it only became worse. By the time she'd left Belts Belts Belts, the seventh store she'd visited, she was ready to move back to Baltimore and plead for her old job at YoYogurt. She had no idea what she alone could do at this point. Even more horrific, she didn't know who was responsible for this. Who would blacklist her and  _w_ _hy?_

* * *

"Shit, where's he going now?" Jonesy asked.

He'd been following Wyatt for over an hour now, never once letting him out of his sight. Once Jonesy'd spotted him at Grind Me, he trailed him to where he was now—the mall's second floor. He walked past dozens of stores, much to Jonesy's confusion. What was Wyatt  _really_  looking for?

Then it hit him.

He broke out his cell phone immediately. "Ladies Man to Sk8er Boi—Ladies Man to Sk8er Boi, do you hear me?"

"Loud and clear, dude," Jude said.

"Good. Afro is going to Spin This! I repeat: Afro is going to Spin This!"

"Spin This? I'm on it."

Before Jonesy hung up, he heard the sound of his skateboard rolling off. While waiting on Jude to arrive, he hid behind a pillar near the music store. He saw Jude rolling into Spin This minutes later, trailing behind Wyatt.

Even though Jude would report back to Jonesy like he'd done before, Jonesy couldn't help peering inside the store from afar. He could definitely see Serena from where he stood. That was it! … Maybe.

Serena could be the reason Wyatt was sneaking away from the group more often. It all made sense, and it supported Jonesy's "hot chick" theory. Wyatt and Serena had a rocky history, and Wyatt  _had_  been more than willing to let her back into his life—especially on New Year's Eve—even after she stomped his heart into dust.

Then again, Wyatt had confessed a couple months ago that he wasn't into Serena anymore, after meeting pop singer Kylie Smylie.

 _Then again_ , things could've quickly changed between them. For example, Nikki had constantly denied her feelings for Jonesy after their first breakup, yet she became his girlfriend again—strong feelings and all.

Yep, this totally supported his "hot chick" theory. If this was the case, Jonesy could absolutely understand Wyatt's behavior. Being the guy he was, he'd be willing to run away with Nikki anytime if it meant steamy make-out sessions and maybe something more behind their friends' backs.

"Hey there, Super Spy," a flat voice called.

His eyes widened. He jumped before spinning around and facing his scarer. "Dammit, babe, you can't just sneak up on someone while they're spying!"

Nikki rolled her eyes. Her voice remained flat as she said, "Sorry I didn't know you'd overreact like that."

He replied by pulling her into some faux bushes near a bench and a mall median. They were closer to the store, but not close enough to draw anymore unnecessary attention.

"How's the whole stakeout thing going?" she asked before being shushed by him. She crossed her arms. "Whatever."

Meanwhile, Jude had been following Wyatt around Spin This until he reached the cash register Serena manned. He hid behind a shelf of CDs and LPs alike, eavesdropping on Wyatt's conversation with Serena.

"Hey, Wyatt." She offered a grin. "How's everything going?"

Though they were exes, he still wanted to remain cordial. "Fine. How about you?"

"Good, good." She took a closer look at the LP he wanted to buy. "Oh, cool—the new Interpol album."

"Yeah, I've been meaning to listen to it. I haven't listened to them in forever."

"I know right? I haven't listened to Interpol since…" Her grin broadened before fading to remorse. Her eyes dropped to the floor.

"Since we broke up."

"Right."

He was desperate to renew the conversation, to grab a new topic. "So, how are you and Chad doing?"

Her sigh was long and heavy. "We broke up again, most likely for good this time."

"Really? Sorry to hear that."

"Don't be. I think this might be better for us, anyway. We've been drifting for a while." She exchanged the record for his money, putting it in the cash register. "If you want to, we can listen to this album together tomorrow night. I've been dying for some company."

"Wouldn't you rather hear it with Charmaine?"

"She doesn't like Interpol much. Besides, you're great to hang with."

"Well… you see, as much as I'd like to, I can't."

Trying not to sound desperate, but failing miserably, she asked, "Why not?"

"I just—" He sighed this time. "It's complicated." He failed to add,  _"Plus you've broken my heart enough."_

She frowned. "I guess I'll see you around, then."

"Yeah, I guess so."

Jude, having overheard everything, whispered, "Whoa. Jonesy's not gonna believe this." He backed up softly, making sure he couldn't be heard, and accidentally knocked a CD off the shelf. He picked it up, saying, "Oops… Wait a minute— _country music?_  Noooooooo!"

He tried running away, but ended up tripping and knocking two shelves over, leaving himself out in the open. Exposed.

Wyatt swiftly turned around and his eyes widened in shock, as did Serena's. "Jude, what are you doing?!"

"You see, it's a funny story." Unscathed, he leaped from the ground and ran out the store with his skateboard in hand. As soon as he saw Jonesy and Nikki in the bushes, he ran towards them and hid beside them.

"Jude, what the hell just happened?" Jonesy asked.

In between deep, uneven breaths, he said, "Serena hit on Wyatt... Wyatt rejected her... I fell and... he saw me... That's why I ran."

Nikki cocked her pierced eyebrow. "He rejected  _Serena_ , as in his ex-girlfriend  _Serena_?"

Jude nodded as his breathing steadied.

Jonesy said, "Dammit, there goes the 'hot chick' theory. If he's not with Serena, what's he  _really_ hiding?"

"I bet you'll try to figure it out, Sherlock Jonesy." Nikki smirked, though he didn't look too amused.

* * *

Caitlin gasped, startled. "So you never got hired  _anywhere_?"

Sydni frowned and shook her head. She hadn't spoken much since the job-hunting disaster took place, only opening her mouth to explain why she'd come back to the food court looking so sullen.

Nikki approached the table and joined the girls, having walked in on this portion of the conversation. "Wow, I thought Jonesy getting fired everyday was bad—even if it's his own fault—but not even being given a chance at all? Ouch."

"How could you be rejected from every job though?" Jen asked.

She shrugged. "Apparently, I've been blacklisted."

Shock was all over their faces.

"Blacklisted? Oh, no! That's, like, the worst kind of rejection in the mall!" Caitlin shouted.

"Good to know." Sydni sighed. "I heard the email that's been sent around has the mall's official insignia and stuff. Now all I need to know is who's behind it all."

Caitlin gasped as an image popped into her head, leading to a solid theory.

"What is it, Cait?" Jen asked.

"Remember when I gave Sydni a tour of the mall?" The girls nodded. "For some reason I remembered seeing a girl with a purple beret everywhere we went, but I just realized it was  _Gwen_." Caitlin faced Sydni with a serious expression. "She probably saw Alejandro flirting with you at A &F!"

Sydni looked puzzled. "Was she the one that blacklisted me?"

"I bet she was part of the reason why. She probably told Tricia and Heather and got them to do something about it, something like  _blacklist_  you."

"Tricia and Heather?"

Nikki replied, "Remember the girls who fell in the pool at Geoff's party?" Sydni nodded. " _They're_  Tricia, Heather, Gwen, and Mandy. More specifically, Tricia and Heather are bitchy girls who think they're the apex of the high-school food chain."

Caitlin sighed before admitting, "Because they  _are_  on the top of the food chain, right up there with Tara Johansen." (Nikki rolled her eyes at the very mention of Tara's name, since she'd been the "stick insect" Jonesy originally took to their school's winter formal.) "But, getting back on topic, Heather used to date Alejandro, but he got rid of her like split ends a couple months ago and—oh, I should've known she's still into him!"

Sydni gulped. "So, this is only the beginning of her reign of terror?"


	4. Things Change

Jonesy kept up with Jude, who was skateboarding, until they made it to the gang's food court table. He slammed his palms on the table, saying, "You'll never guess what happened with Wyatt."

"Oh my God, what happened?" Caitlin asked.

"Jude, Nikki, and I saw him in Spin This talking to  _Serena_."

"I thought you weren't going to get involved," Caitlin said to Nikki.

She dismissed the comment. "Yeah, yeah, things change."

"So what did Wyatt do?" Jen asked Jonesy.

"He rejected her. She tried asking him out and he said, 'It's complicated.'"

"He turned down Serena? Something's really up now," Caitlin said.

Jonesy briefly threw his hands in the air. "That's what I'm saying! If there's no hot chick involved, then what's  _really_  going on with him?"

Jen shrugged before revisiting the possibilities they'd explored yesterday. "Drugs, sex, harassment, paranoia—"

"Or a secret girlfriend"—Caitlin gasped—"or new friends that he likes  _better_  than us."

"Be serious, Caitlin. Do you still think Wyatt would really do that?" Nikki asked.

After hesitating, she said, "I really don't know. Maybe."

"We can get back to this later, but right now we have to figure out why Sydni's been rejected from every job she's applied to," Jen said.

Sydni frowned at the change in subject.

It didn't help that Jonesy had to open his big mouth, either. "Whoa, you got rejected from every store? Kinda makes me look better, doesn't it?"

The gang sent scowls in his direction.

"Anyways"—Nikki cut her eyes at Jonesy before shifting her attention to Sydni—"didn't you mention something about an official-looking email going around?"

She nodded.

"Do you know who might have a spare copy lying around?"

"I think the manager of Spin This does—that Serena girl you guys mentioned. I found out about it through her."

"Hmm, I have an idea. Follow me there." Nikki got out of her seat and searched for Spin This, the gang following along with both her logic and her direction. She walked into the record store with Sydni and left with a copy of the email, showing it to the gang. "I think I know whoever sent this. I say we pay a visit to the Stereo Shack."

With that being said, the gang made their way there. As soon as they stepped inside the store, Nikki sauntered to the cash register, where Darth resided.

"Hey there, Jedi Master," she greeted with her hands behind her back.

He grinned and wagged his eyebrows. "Hello, Nikki. To what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?"

"Oh, cut the bullshit, Darth. I'm here about an email that looks an awful lot like this." She nearly shoved the copy of the email in his face, making sure he saw every pixel of what she believed to be his handiwork.

He gulped and his voice trembled as he spoke, damn near whispering. "Where did you get that?"

She ignored him. "There aren't a lot of people around here as good with this kind of forgery as you are, Darth, I'll give you that. You're skilled. Seasoned. Been doing this a  _long_ time—probably since your Jedi-ass could walk. Now, I'm not accusing you of doing this, but I think we both know who did. Now, if you don't tell me what I need to know in ten seconds, your ass is grass." When she felt like it, she could be as frightening as a hitman.

The countdown began in his head before it did out loud. When Nikki reached  _two_ , he pled guilty. "Okay, okay—it was me! I did it! Please don't kill me, Nikki! I didn't mean to do it!"

"So why did you?" she asked, pulling him by the collar. (Maybe she'd fare better as a police interrogator rather than a writer.)

"Because Tricia and Heather blackmailed me into it." He hung his head in shame once she let go of him. "They tried paying me to do it—but I didn't really want to—so they threatened me instead."

"I knew it; I  _knew_  they were behind this. Any idea where they might be?"

"I have no clue."

"Thanks for your cooperation, anyways." Nikki walked back to her friends, who'd been standing around at the back of the store. "Darth fessed up, told me Tricia and Heather made him send the email."

"No way!" Caitlin exclaimed.

Nikki nodded. "Now all we need to do is find them. Knowing them, they can't be too far. They live for trouble."

The gang walked all around the mall in hopes of finding Tricia and Heather. They walked past designer stores, the more expensive restaurants, and other places they'd normally visit with no luck. The girls nearly gave up and walked back to the food court as they passed Super Terrific Happy Sushi.

"Just  _l_ _ook_  at what the cat dragged in," a mocking voice called. "Isn't that pathetic?"

"Tricia," Nikki hissed as she and the rest of the girls—Jude and Jonesy included—turned around, facing Tricia and her clique at the entrance of the sushi restaurant.

"So you're the girls who screwed me over," Sydni said as her eyes ran over Tricia, Heather, and their clique.

"How'd you figure it out so soon?" Heather asked, sauntering towards Sydni and the girls.

"It took some brainstorming, some questioning. You know Darth is easy to persuade," Nikki said.

"You're not wrong." This was probably the only thing Nikki and Heather could agree on. Shifting her focus to Sydni, she narrowed her eyes. "Since you probably know about Alejandro by now, I suggest you stay your ass away from him. No one's going to get in the way of me and him."

Sydni's throat constricted and she couldn't muster any words. She was thankful Nikki stepped in.

"You and him? He broke up with you; there  _is_  no you and him."

"She's kinda right; he did dump you," Lindsay contributed. She was the MVP of accidentally supporting the wrong team.

Heather huffed. "Shut up, Lindsiot. No one asked you anything." She cut her eyes at Sydni and said to her what she'd been telling herself for days. "Yeah, you're cute, but I know plenty of girls like you—quiet, shy, mousey,  _wea_ _k_ —and let me tell you now, Alejandro would never go after that. I know him better. It's girls like me that get guys like him. That's the way life plays out. Now, run along."

Heather was the evil-queen, wicked-witch character Sydni read about in the books she liked. Of course she had known actual people like Heather back at her old school, but she'd never had to confront them.

"You don't know me," Sydni said, fighting not to fidget with her bracelet for once, "and I don't know you, so I don't know why you think you've got me figured out." She struggled not to break eye contact. "And you certainly don't own me."

"Aw, you want to feel all empowered against me. That's cute," she mocked, "even though it seems like you don't even have  _yourself_  figured out." She scowled at the girl beneath her. "You may think Alejandro's hot—who wouldn't?—but he'll never stoop so low to date you."

Sydni winced before Jen slapped Heather with the truth: "He stooped low enough to be with you."

She crossed her arms. "Oh, screw you. You don't know anything."

Nikki stepped in Heather's direction, firing the last shot of this battle. " _I_  know that you need to leave before this gets ugly."

She paused, considering it. "Fine, but this is far from over."

"Bite me."

Her lips twisted into a smirk. "Gladly. Some other time, perhaps."

Nikki rolled her eyes as Heather and Tricia walked away with their crew.

Sydni uneasily stared at the ground beneath her feet, and she gave into fidgeting with her bracelet. She knew she wasn't convincing enough during the battle with Heather. Hell, she couldn't even convince herself of what she was saying. Then again, people like Heather seemed easier to confront in  _theory_  rather than in  _reality_.

"Don't worry about Heather or her bitch squad," Nikki said to Sydni. "They talk a lot of shit to overcompensate for what they lack."

Caitlin placed a hand on Sydni's shoulder. "Yeah, they just like making people feel small, that's all. Don't believe all that stuff she said about you  _or_  Alejandro. He's not the bad guy; they are. And you're definitely better than Tricia and Heather combined."

She still regretted cowering down, but she welcomed their comfort with slightly open arms, at least. "Thanks, guys."

"Since this is over for now, I think we should definitely find Wyatt," Caitlin said.

"I thought you weren't going to 'butt in,'" Nikki said.

"I kinda changed my mind. Plus I just want him to talk to us and be open. Maybe he's holding something back from us because he feels like we'll be unsupportive of him."

"Hmm, never thought of it like that, bra," Jude said as he and Jonesy joined the girls once more. The two of them had merely been standing back and observing the girls arguing the whole time, Jonesy having his camera ready in case a "hot catfight" erupted.

Looking among her friends, Jen suggested, "Maybe we should break up into groups of two so we can find him. I'll go with Jude, Nikki can go with Jonesy, and Caitlin and Sydni can go together. This way, we can cover more ground. By stopping at his favorite places, we'll have a better chance of finding him."

"Can't disagree with that logic," Nikki said. "Let's go, Garcia." She took Jonesy's hand and walked away with him.

Jude extended his arm towards Jen, wanting her to take it. "M'lady," he said with a grin, which grew brighter when she held onto him. "Let's hit it!"

As Jude and Jen made their exit, Caitlin and Sydni looked at each other.

"Looks like we're the last to leave," Caitlin said. "Since we're on the same floor, I say we should hit up Grind Me. There's a good chance Wyatt'll be there.  _And_  I can buy myself another latte; they're wonderful."

Sydni nodded. "Yeah."

Picking up on her sullen body language, she said, "Hey, don't feel down about the whole Aleheather thing. I don't want you to be sad."

"I'm not sad; I'm just thinking."

Caitlin's expression asked,  _"About what?"_

"Maybe Heather's right about me. I can't even defend myself let alone  _know_  myself."

"No one really knows themselves, especially not at our age. From what I hear, I think you only figure yourself out when you're, like, eighty and accomplished."

"I guess you're right. Still, I haven't felt right lately, not since…" She trailed off.

"Not since what?

 _"_ _Not since him,"_  she failed to add. "Oh, nothing. Just thinking about home."

As the two of them walked inside the coffee house, Caitlin surveyed it. She sighed. "No sign of Wyatt."

"Maybe the others had better luck," Sydni said.

"Hopefully. Maybe Serena knows where he is. Let's go to Spin This after I get my coffee and buy you some tea."

"You don't have to do that, Caitlin. Honestly."

But she refused to hear it. "After what happened today, it's my treat."

She grinned a little. "Thanks."

Caitlin beamed. "Anytime."

After getting their coffee and tea, they made their way to Spin This, where Jonesy and Nikki were in the process of leaving.

"What happened?" Caitlin asked them.

"Serena hasn't seen him since earlier," Jonesy said.

"Darn it," she said.

"Anywhere else we can look?" Sydni asked.

Caitlin bit her lip while thinking. "…Maybe we can try looking in North Shore."

The others stared at her, wondering how she thought of that.

"That's where  _Marlowe_  works." She remembered something about Marlowe reapplying there after quitting Spin This. "Wyatt's still good friends with her, so she may have an idea."

" _Oh_ ," Jonesy said. "I like the way you think."

They made their way up the escalator to the third floor and found Jude and Jen already inside the store, talking to Marlowe.

"…Have you seen Wyatt at all today?" Jen asked Marlowe.

"Not at all. Why?"

"The gang and I think that he's been acting really strange lately. He's been disappearing, making excuses, and just being… unlike himself."

"Wow, I can't believe I never really noticed it," Marlowe said as she threw her bag over her shoulder, walking closer to the store's exit. "I hope you guys find out what's up with him."

"Hey, where ya going?" Jude asked.

"I'm hanging out with Connie and the girls. Promised I'd hang out with them once my shift was over. I've got to make time for my friends, you know?"

"I totally get it, bra," he said.

"Thanks for your help anyways, Marlowe. Have fun with your friends," Jen said.

"Thanks, Jen. See you guys soon, I guess."

After Marlowe left, the gang regrouped once more.

"I'm getting a sense of deja vu, dudes," Jude said, feeling like they'd done this too much.

"I take it nobody knows where Wyatt is," Jen said.

Her answer was a collective  _nope_.

"Just our luck."

* * *

"Hey there, stranger," Wyatt said, offering a smile to the person joining him. He'd been waiting in the mall's back-service hallways for a while, glad to finally have some company.

"Hey, tiger," the person he'd been waiting for replied. Approaching him, she said, "I know we saw each other the other day, but I've missed you a lot."

"Same here." His smile grew bigger as he leaned in for a kiss.

* * *

Caitlin leaned on the Big Squeeze's counter with a sigh. "I hope Wyatt's alright. I just want to know what's up with him."

"At least we've got a whole summer to figure it out," Jude said. "Besides, you know what they say:  _If you love something, set it free_."

Nikki snorted. "And a true poet speaks."

Jen actually understood Jude's logic; she was probably the only one who could. "Jude might be right. Maybe if we just give him some space,  _he'll_  open up to  _us_ , instead of us getting in his business."

" _Or_  we can do it the fun way and find things out for ourselves," Jonesy countered.

She felt like her words went in one ear and out the other. "Did you not just hear a word I said?"

Jonesy shrugged before leaning back in his seat, further frustrating his stepsister.

"So, about the whole 'Heather' thing," Sydni said, switching the topic, "do you guys think I can still find a job, even with that fake email out there?"

"Of course. I think counter-blackmailing Darth will save your ass; he owes you  _big time_  for what he did, anyways." Nikki smirked. "I'll just help speed up the process."

"You'd really do that?"

She nodded. "You're a friend, of course I would."

"Thanks, Nikki."

"Anytime, Bambi."

And  _Bambi_  lingered in her head for hours, a smile gracing Sydni's face every time she thought about it.


	5. Something Kinda Funny

"What's gotten you two so happy?" Jen asked a couple days after the Heather-Tricia debacle.

Nikki, taking her seat beside Jonesy, smirked. "Nothing but sweet, sweet revenge."

All of the gang, save for her and Sydni, exchanged curious glances.

"Okay— _spill_ ," Caitlin demanded, leaning intently against the Big Squeeze's counter.

Sydni grinned. "Nikki helped me with getting Darth to clear my name, and she also asked him for a  _favor_."

"You guys are being really cryptic. There's more to this story, I bet," Jen said.

"Of course there is, and you guys are about to witness it," Nikki replied.

Moments later, Nikki and Sydni's cryptic messages became clearer. The Galleria's typically unused jumbotron lit up with blurry cellphone footage. The image sharpened as the camera came into focus, showing a crowded pool very similar to Geoff's.

Caitlin's mouth fell open and her pupils dilated as she looked in awe. "Is this what I think it is?"

On the screen was Heather and Tricia's most embarrassing moment, in all its unedited glory. When they, with their Cheeto-colored skin, tumbled into Geoff's pool, people around the mall erupted in laughter.

Jen laughed hard with her friends, enough that she doubled over. "I can't believe you guys did this!"

Nikki chuckled. "Darth was the one who did it.  _We_  just gave him the idea, that's all."

"I've got to say: Payback feels pretty good," Sydni said with a giggle.

Jonesy, after his hyena-like laughter subsided, said, "That's my girl. I'm proud of you, babe." He draped an arm over Nikki's shoulders and she rested against him, allowing herself to be comforted by him.

As Caitlin looked at Jonesy and Nikki, she swooned on the inside.  _Oh my God, they're in love. How did I_ not _see this coming? They're so cute_ _and so into each other._ _Duh, I should've know at the ice-skating rink the other day!_  She sighed.  _If Benj and I ever fall in love, I want it to be like this._

"So, Sydni," Wyatt began, "how'd the job hunt go?" The others had filled him in on Heather's blackmailing, but he wanted to know the aftermath.

"It… It went." She scratched the back of her head. "I mean, Nikki helped me get a job, but it's not exactly where I wanted to be."

"Hey," Nikki said, "I'm just glad it won't be just me versus the Clones anymore."

"You work at the Khaki Barn now?" Caitlin asked before an idea dawned on her, making her excited. "Holy cashmere—I'll have  _another_  friend-of-an-employee discount!" She jumped up and down while clapping her hands, only stopping when she heard her phone vibrate. It was a text from her friend Andrea, probably the only friend she kept from her days as a rich girl living on a trust fund. Before replying, she noticed the time in the top-right corner. "You guys better go to work if you don't wanna be late."

"Whatever you say, princess," Jonesy said.

"I guess she has a point," Nikki said before shifting her attention. "C'mon, Bambi, we've got a long day ahead of us."

Sydni got out her seat and followed Nikki to the store.

As soon as they made it there, Nikki said, "Welcome to Khaki Hell—population: two."


End file.
